


Worth It.

by queerlyobscure (softestpunk)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Other, Protective Bruce, Protective Steve, Steve Rogers is Not a Virgin, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2014-12-07
Packaged: 2018-02-28 12:26:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2732486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softestpunk/pseuds/queerlyobscure
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an incident where Tony hurts himself, the Hulk saves him, Bruce was really sure Tony and Steve were already together and kind of realises that he has maybe a tiny crush on him, things start moving forward. Kind of. Eventually.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [notalwaysweak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/notalwaysweak/gifts).



> I would like to assume that [notalwaysweak](http://archiveofourown.org/users/notalwaysweak) will stop telling me about how I never finished this now but I feel that's premature and so I won't.

Bruce woke to the sickening feeling of sore muscles that told him The Other Guy had made an appearance. The light wasn’t great, wherever he was, so it took him a moment to realise that he was lying on top of someone.

Someone Tony-shaped.

_Shit_.

_No, no, no oh god please no;_ he checked frantically for a pulse, panic welling up in his throat and closing off his airways until he realised that Tony was breathing. Out cold, but clearly still alive. He sat up and looked at him for a moment in the glow of the arc reactor, trying desperately to remember what the hell had happened but only coming up blank. 

"Hey." Steve’s voice startled him, and he felt something cool being pressed into his hand. It took him another moment to recognise that they were his glasses, and he put them on before realising that he was still sitting on Tony and scrambling off him.

"Whoa, it’s okay." Steve grabbed his shoulders. Somehow, he had the difference between a grounding hold and a threatening hold figured out, and The Other Guy didn’t even stir. "I honestly don’t think he’d mind you using him as a pillow once he knows what happened."

Bruce looked around to see that they were... underground, maybe? Steve wasn’t in his costume, Tony was clearly not in his suit, so they couldn’t have been out looking for a bad guy. Not that one couldn’t have found them anyway. But that didn’t tell him much.

"Yeah, about that...?"

"Don’t remember?"

Now that his eyes were adjusting, he could see the concern on Steve’s face.

He didn’t kid himself for a second that the bulk of it was for him. Tony was out cold and Steve was close enough to know about it. He’d have to be an idiot not to see what was going on between them, whether they saw it or not.

"We were going to one of those PR things that SHIELD likes us to show up at." Steve scratched the back of his neck. "Except it was a trap. We were completely unprepared, and the building collapsed when whoever was after us this time decided to blow it up. You - or The Other Guy, if you prefer - protected Tony. Wouldn’t let me near him."

Bruce swallowed. "I could have killed him. You should have stopped me."

Steve shook his head. "You wouldn’t. And neither would, umm, The Other Guy. He was pretty clear about no one being allowed to hurt Tony, actually."

It might have been Bruce’s imagination, but he thought Steve was blushing. He knew _he_ was, in any case. "Oh."

"Yeah."

A soft moan from the ground ended the increasingly awkward conversation there, with Steve abandoning him instantly to kneel by Tony’s side. Bruce hung back, slightly guilty for the knowledge that Tony probably needed a little attention from someone with at least some medical background, but too embarrassed at his enormous intrusion on his relationship with Steve - whatever the exact details of it were, and Bruce _really_ didn’t need to know, thank you - to go over without being invited. His heartbeat had been strong and his breathing regular, so he was probably not in immediate danger.

"Hey, Doc." Tony’s voice was quiet and scratchy, and it forced Bruce to look up again. He tried to ignore the tiny pang he felt at seeing Steve stroking Tony’s hair, but it settled in his gut uncomfortably and made him shift in place.

"Glad you’re awake." Bruce smiled softly. He didn’t bother to pay any heed to the thought that he was increasingly unable to smile in any way _but_ softly at Tony, because yeah, he was torturing himself. What else was new?

"Not nearly as glad as I am."

_Don’t be so sure_ , Bruce didn’t say. Where the hell was all this coming from? He’d known that The Other Guy had a little... crush, really, on the ‘pretty metal bird’ he’d decided was his friend. And it wasn’t as though everyone didn’t have a bit of a crush on Tony. Or Steve, for that matter. But this sudden protectiveness had come out of nowhere.

Well, not exactly nowhere, because Tony was hurt and Bruce had the self-awareness to admit that if he hadn’t been physically incapable at the time, he would have carried Tony home after the whole first incident with Loki. Not that Tony needed the protecting, but that didn’t seem to mean much to either of his personalities.

“Is he okay?”

Steve’s quiet concern finally got Bruce to move, getting him to kneel beside Tony and look him over for bleeding. Relieved when he didn’t spot anything major straight away, he started prodding him from the collarbones down.

“Oh Jesus,” Tony hissed when Bruce pressed on a rib that he felt shifting under his fingers. “What happened to ‘do no harm’?”

“Not actually a medical doctor,” Bruce defended. “It’s only a broken rib. You’re breathing fine so I doubt it’s punctured a lung.”

“I think Doctor Banner means you should suck it up, Tony.” Steve laughed nervously, and Bruce felt a little pang for him, too. They both knew what it was like to sit by and watch someone die, and this couldn’t be easy for Steve at all, even if Tony was more or less fine.

“I wouldn’t exactly say that, but you’re not dying. Any other pain?”

“Pretty sure I’m not going to be walking on my right ankle any time soon. And there’s a rock or something sticking into my kidney.”

Bruce snorted, and couldn’t quite make himself feel guilty for it. “If that’s the worst of it, you’ll be fine.”

“Easy for you to say. I’m a fragile human one-point-oh. You guys are version two.”

“Do you know what he’s talking about?” Steve looked up at Bruce for a translation.

“He’s just upset that he can’t do the super-healing thing.” Bruce smiled at Steve’s look of understanding. “And you’ve got to be at least one-point-five. Arc reactors don’t come with the stable release yet.”

“ _Yet_ ,” Tony emphasised. Even Steve laughed at that, some of the nervousness fading. He looked so genuinely happy that Tony was okay that Bruce couldn’t help but smile fondly at him, too.

This was probably not the best moment to realise that a little completely normal crush on Captain America might have actually been an actual attraction to Steve Rogers, but Bruce had done less appropriate things in his life and lived to tell the tale.

Really, he was looking forward to the many months of torture he was bringing down on himself by even _thinking_ it.

“Should we move him?”

“I’d rather not risk it if we don’t have to. He looks fine now but he could easily have a spinal injury that we wouldn’t know about until we _did_ move him. I’m betting you can hear the rescue teams digging as well as I can, so hopefully we won’t have to find out the hard way.”

“You know I can hear you guys, right?” Tony spoke up with all of his usual energy, but Bruce knew he had a concussion at very least and if he’d landed on top of him, then there could easily be more damage. He was feeling guilty enough about having probably broken Tony’s rib, so he didn’t want to risk the guilt of breaking his back to go with it.

“Did you hear something?” Steve winked at Bruce.

Bruce took a moment to process Steve winking at him, and then shook his head. “Nope. Must be going deaf.”

Steve smiled, clearly pleased at being able to make a joke that someone other than Tony thought was funny, and went back to stroking his hair. Bruce couldn’t help but feel he was intruding on a private moment, but he seemed to be the only one noticing.

Thankfully, the sound of much closer debris shifting interrupted for him, and soon there was light streaming through a hole and Clint grinning at them and looking like he’d never been worried at all.

“Slackers. We took out the bad guys for you.”

“Thank you,” Tony called out. Then there was a thud that made Bruce freeze.

“Tony?” The worry was back in Steve’s voice again. Bruce swallowed and resisted the temptation to look back, heading towards Clint and the light.

“Medics. Rigid stretcher. Go,” he ordered. Clint was either terrified of him or aware that Bruce was serious, because he moved like his own life depended on it.

Bruce stood for a moment, torn between going back and going to inform whatever medical professionals he could find of what he already knew. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see the worry in Steve’s eyes, but he didn’t want to abandon him, either. He took a deep breath and turned, wincing when the light allowed him to see that Tony was in worse shape than he’d thought - even if most of it still looked superficial.

“I’m fine,” Steve said without looking up. “Go and help, if you can.”

After opening his mouth to protest, Bruce realised that Steve was giving him the permission to run away that he desperately needed, and only nodded his acceptance before leaving to be of whatever use he could make himself. He could worry about the mess he’d suddenly found himself in when they were all safe.


	2. Chapter 2

“You need to sleep.” Bruce handed Steve a full cup of coffee to go with the twelve empty ones in the trash can beside Tony’s bed.

Steve shook his head. “I’ll be fine for a while longer. I don’t want him to wake up alone.” 

The unspoken _like I did_ hung in the air, and Bruce wondered if Steve realised he could match that with one of his own. More than one of his own.

Couple of times in places that were worse than ‘on his own’. The difference being that Steve hadn’t had a whole lot of time to come to terms with it, and while it was easy to forget when he was standing around giving orders like an experienced leader, he was barely more than a kid.

“I’ll be here. As the closest thing to an actual doctor you’ve got right now, I’d like to strongly advise that you at least close your eyes for a while. I’ll wake you if anything changes.”

Steve looked blearily between Tony, still sedated, and Bruce, standing awkwardly with a paper cup full of tea in his hand. “You care about him.”

Steve’s tone suggested that this was something he was only now realising. That was probably a good thing, or it might have been a little more hostile. Or maybe Steve really was the nicest person in the known universe.

“I guess so. He...” Bruce paused to think of a safe reason to care about Tony. “He gave me a home. Didn’t treat me like slippery china. I like him.” He shrugged.

“Gave me a home, too.” Steve looked over at Tony. “He’s not as self-centred as he likes to pretend, is he?”

“Stark Industries has been big on philanthropy for as long as anyone can remember,” Bruce began. “Present company excluded, I guess. But everything changed after Tony’s stint in Afghanistan. Stark Industries is giving enough to charity not to pay a cent in tax. Tony... Tony’s actually fixing things. He’s a good guy, even if he doesn’t always act like it.”

“You sound like you know what you’re talking about.”

“Stark Industries was the end goal for a lot of the people I went to school with. I’ll bet a lot of them are still working for Tony, somehow.” Bruce smiled to himself. “Funny, I was never really interested. Did get the recruitment spiel a couple of times, though.”

Steve nodded, expression thoughtful. In an attempt to give him time to finish whatever thinking he was doing, Bruce grabbed another chair and moved to sit with him - not too close, but close enough to be nearby.

“So he is a good man, then?”

“I’d say so,” Bruce answered honestly. “But if I’m allowed to offer a little advice from my limited experience, what _you_ think is probably more important than what anyone else does.”

Steve blushed and wriggled in his seat. “I’m not sure what I think of him, exactly. I know I lashed out at him at first, but I expected him to be exactly like Howard and then when he wasn’t I was so confused. But now... I’m starting to really like him. His dad was a brilliant man, but Tony is... so different.”

Bruce smiled a fond little smile at Steve. It was so easy to feel warmth towards him when he was back to being Steve Rogers, slightly confused man-out-of-time. Especially when he was trying to explain to both himself and Bruce that he had a Thing for Tony Stark and he wasn’t sure what to think of it.

“I get the impression that he’d like to hear that.” Bruce glanced over at Tony. “Also, between you and me, I’d say you have a better than even shot.”

The dark blush that spread down Steve’s neck made Bruce want to hug him, though where that impulse came from he had no idea. “But he’s always talking about you.”

“He is?” Bruce blinked. He got that Tony was kind of fascinated with him, but hadn’t thought much of it. He’d come to assume that Tony looked on him as someone he could throw science at and not have it fall completely flat, but nothing more.

Steve nodded, chewing on his lower lip. “I’d like to get to know you better, actually. And I owe you an apology for behaving as though I thought you weren’t in control. I should have known better.”

“That was months ago.” Bruce frowned a little, surprised that Steve even remembered it.

“Yeah, and I’ve been feeling guilty ever since.” Steve looked at him with earnest eyes in full effect. Bruce resisted a sudden impulse to lean over and kiss him, but only through long practise at resisting impulses.

“You’re a good man. Apology accepted.” He nodded. The look of relief on Steve’s face told Bruce that he wasn’t wrong in his assessment: Steve wasn’t at all a bad person. He couldn’t even bring himself to be disappointed by the idea that he’d be really good for Tony, because he _would_ be and he could see that they’d play off each other’s strengths beautifully.

“Can you look after him while I... uh, what’s the polite way to say you need to pee these days?”

“I think that’s about as polite as you can get it. I’ll make sure he doesn’t escape or anything.” Bruce nodded and tried not to think of Steve as adorable. Which, it occurred to him, was probably what Tony saw in him.

Steve offered him a smile and disappeared out of the room. Bruce took the opportunity to tidy up the space around him a little so he could come back to slightly more comfortable surrounds, and then settled back into his own surprisingly comfortable plastic chair. Less comfortable after sitting in it for twelve hours, he assumed, but okay for now.

Maybe he could get Steve to sleep on the recliner in the corner when he got back. It was sweet, the way he was sticking around. He obviously cared, but then Bruce had been assuming they were sleeping together until Steve started asking about Tony as a person. It was possible that he was misreading the tension between them, but the physical closeness that had sprung up had seemed like a pretty good argument. And Steve apparently thought that they were in incredibly friendly competition for him?

Could be a 40s-to-today translation error. He’d have plenty of time to talk to him if he still refused to sleep when he got back, at least.

Naturally, Tony decided that this was the perfect moment to wake up. If Bruce didn’t know that any telepathic abilities Tony had would be well-documented, he would have assumed that he’d read his mind.

“I told you there was something sticking into my kidney.”

“Well you whined so much about the rib that I just assumed you were exaggerating,” Bruce countered, relieved beyond words at Tony being awake and lucid. And snarky.

“Tony,” Steve spoke up from the doorway, making it to the bed in a few short strides.

“Hey Cap.” Tony smiled up at Steve in a way that told Bruce there was no competition at all. Not that he actually wanted there to be, because Tony was bound to be exponentially more infuriating the closer you got to him.

“Good to have you back with us.” Steve smiled back at him. “We were starting to miss you.”

“Only starting? I’m insulted.” Tony grinned. He looked tired and he was still bruised and grazed, but he seemed not to mind too much. It was hardly the worst situation he’d woken up in, though, so that probably explained it.

“Well, I just got here,” Bruce spoke up. “Steve wouldn’t leave your side.”

It couldn’t hurt to push things along in that direction, could it? They obviously both looked on Bruce as an advisor, so he might as well advise.

Tony seemed to accept that easily enough, and for once in his life, managed not to comment. “So is someone going to ask me how I’m feeling?”

Bruce rolled his eyes. “How are you feeling, Tony?”

“Thank you. I feel like I got run over by a truck and then nearly bled to death. But I’m guessing there wasn’t actually a truck.”

“Not exactly,” Steve began. “Doctor Banner shielded you when the building collapsed.”

Shifting uncomfortably, Bruce took a breath before trying to answer. “That’s not strictly accurate, is it? The-”

“Yes it is,” Tony interrupted. “You and the Hulk, Hulk and you, same guy. I know, because you both like me. He’s just more honest about it.”

It struck Bruce that sometimes, Tony was too insightful for his own good. “You calling me a liar?”

“I’m calling you inhibited. Which I get, because if you weren’t we could all be in a lot of trouble.”

Steve turned to look at Bruce suddenly, mouth open and eyes wide as though he’d just realised something. Bruce shrunk back a little, not comfortable with all eyes being on him, and waited for Tony to interrupt again. Tony, though, was apparently not in the mood to save him.

“I was surprised that you didn’t come here earlier,” Steve confessed. “But I’ve just worked out why.”

 _No you haven’t_ , Bruce wanted to say. It would be a lie, but a comforting one. “Yeah.”

“I feel like I should be understanding this conversation, but I don’t.”

“I just... figured something important out.” Steve smiled one of those smiles that reminded Bruce why everyone liked him. He reached out and put a hand on Bruce’s shoulder, then squeezed gently. Bruce only swallowed and smiled back.

“Are you guys gonna make out? Because I’m not objecting.”

Steve jumped back as though he’d been burned, but gave Bruce an apologetic look a moment later. He would have tried to say something, reassure Steve that it was okay, Tony was just being an idiot, it didn’t really seem like that was what was about to happen—did it?—but he was too busy trying to work out why Tony would _encourage_ it.

It was probably just one of Tony’s mildly inappropriate jokes, but it had lined up so well with Bruce’s recent line of thought that he was seriously considering getting him tested for newly-developed telepathic abilities. Stranger things had happened, after all.

“What?” Tony looked between them. “Honesty, remember?”

“There’s a difference between being honest and not having a brain-to-mouth filter,” Bruce pointed out, deliberately ignoring the implication that Tony was serious.

“Minor detail.” Tony grinned. “So since you guys have taken it upon yourselves to look after me, which one of you is going to get me out of here in exchange for eternal gratitude? Since neither of you would take a bribe.”

Steve actually laughed, which neither Bruce nor Tony, given his expression, had expected. He blushed afterwards, obviously not really expecting it himself, and looked down at his feet.

“I’ll do it if you promise not to do anything potentially fatal for a week,” Bruce offered.

“I intend to stay in bed for at least a week, so that shouldn’t be a problem.” Tony smiled sweetly.

“I don’t believe that for a second. Unless you’ve finally decided to be honest about the workshop being the place you sleep most often and therefore technically bed.”

The look of mock-indignation Tony shifted his features into wasn’t even remotely convincing, but Bruce wanted to give Tony and Steve a moment to themselves all the same. “You’ll recover better at home, knowing you. I’ll work on it.”

“My hero.” Tony beamed brightly as Bruce waved to both him and Steve and went to have a quiet talk with Tony’s doctor about it being easier for everyone involved if they just let Tony have what he wanted when it wasn’t likely to be life-threatening. Besides, by the looks of it he’d have the world’s most attentive nursemaid in Steve.

Okay, so, that mental image of Steve in a nurse’s outfit came out of nowhere. Maybe Bruce had hit his head as well. He’d run a scan back home.


	3. Chapter 3

“He’s sleeping,” Steve announced as he flopped down on the couch beside Bruce, who’d been so far away mentally that the surprise was enough to make him jump. He caught Steve’s wince out of the corner of his eye, and then the guilty look on his face when he realised what he’d done.

“It’s okay. You’re allowed to make sudden movements and loud noises around me. But I get why you’re wary and I’m not upset about it.”

“Sorry. If it helps, Tony already lectured me on the same thing? So he knows better, at least.”

“Tony... is a special case. He... uh, I should probably let you come to your own conclusions.” Bruce smiled sheepishly. “I could be wrong about him.”

“I’d still like to hear what you think.” Steve looked up, clearly eager to hear more about the man he had such a huge crush on that it was probably visible from space.

“I think he needs to believe that I’m not a monster so he can be sure that he’s not.”

“Why would he think that?” Steve frowned.

“Because when you turn yourself into something that’s... not quite human any more, you worry. Well, not you, because it worked out the way it was supposed to for you. But Tony’s somewhere between you and me, and it’d be a lot easier for him if he could believe that we’re both on the human end of the spectrum.”

“We are. You definitely are. Even if you don’t feel like it.” Steve looked at him with soft eyes that reminded him of the way Tony looked at him sometimes. “I still accidentally break things sometimes.”

Bruce heard the quiet confession for what it was: Steve’s attempt to tell him that he thought that way too, once, but he’d moved past it. It was a nice sentiment, and maybe he did understand some of how it felt to fear your own lack of control.

“Not that I’m trying to drive you away, but shouldn’t you be sleeping while you’ve got the chance?”

“Maybe,” Steve shrugged. “Tony said it was fine if I slept next to him, but I wanted to come see you, first.”

A tiny smile he couldn’t quite stop spread over Bruce’s lips. _Of course_ Tony said it was all right if Steve slept next to him, and Steve, naïve as he was, hadn’t picked up on Tony’s motivations. Or maybe he was just eager enough to go along with them that it didn’t really matter?

Either way, Bruce wasn’t about to interfere. “It’s good that you two are getting along now.”

Steve blushed. “Yeah. I didn’t mean to be cruel to him. I guess I’ve still got a lot to learn about there being more than one way to do things.”

“You’re young. You’ve got plenty of time.” Bruce shrugged. “You’re not an idiot, either. You’re adapting pretty well under the circumstances.”

“I think you’re the first person to say that. Most people seem to wonder how I manage to walk and talk at the same time. I feel like an idiot.”

“Well, you’re not.” Bruce shrugged again. “And you can speak up and ask if you don’t understand things. Tony loves to hear himself talk.”

Steve smiled at that. “Yeah, he does. You’re quiet, though.”

“I guess I am. But I’m happy to explain things to you if you’re confused. Assuming it’s not something that’s passed me by while I was keeping myself out of the way.”

“Doctor Banner...” Steve trailed off, obviously still debating what he was about to say.

After the pause stretched out beyond a simple re-ordering of thoughts, Bruce decided he should speak up. “Call me Bruce. And I’m all ears.”

“I... thank you. You’ve been kind to me.” Steve looked at him tiredly, a tiny, shy smile making him look even younger than Bruce was quickly figuring out he was.

“You’re welcome.”

“I think I’ll go to my own bed. I don’t want to accidentally hurt Tony in my sleep.” Steve stood and headed towards his own room. “Good night Doctor- Bruce,” Steve corrected, giving Bruce a little wave on his way out.

Despite initial impressions, Steve was turning out to be pretty much a sweet kid who was a little lost and could use a friend. Bruce was beginning to think that maybe the opportunity to _be_ a friend was exactly what he needed, too.


	4. Chapter 4

“This is my opportunity to call you names, you know.” Bruce only glanced at Tony as he struggled into the kitchen on crutches, trying to keep his smile to himself but failing miserably. He was smiling a lot these days, which had to be a good sign. 

“You mean as payback? You’re too nice for that.” Tony stood in front of the coffee maker, trying to puzzle out exactly how to use it without his hands. Bruce only smirked and brushed past him with his tea and toast, settling himself on the other side of the bench.

“Whatever you say, hoppalong.”

“That... actually wasn’t bad at all.” Tony looked up, obviously surprised. “Where’s Steve?”

“Sleeping, as far as I know.”

“He’d pour me a cup of coffee.” Tony looked at Bruce pointedly. “Because he’s a gentleman.”

“You say that as though you think I’m likely to give up my morning entertainment for the sake of having you consider me a gentleman.” Bruce raised an eyebrow, but set down his tea and made his way back around the bench. Round two, when Tony realised he couldn’t balance and drink, would be just as enjoyable.

“You love me,” Tony said as though it was one of the simple truths of the universe. “Steve seems to think you’re the voice of reason, which, by the way, is the best kind of irony.”

“I’m very reasonable,” Bruce defended. “When did this come up?”

“Yesterday. He would _not_ stop talking about you. Not that I mind, because I like you and all, but you’d think he was talking about his girlfriend or something.”

“While you were out, he wouldn’t stop talking about _you_ ,” Bruce pointed out. “I think he’s just excited now that we’re all starting to get along. Pretty sure he’s not used to having a lot of friends.”

“What did he say about me?” Tony looked at the cup of coffee in front of him as though it would impart absolute knowledge upon him if only he could figure out how to drink it.

“He wanted to be sure you were really one of the good guys. I told him the truth.” Bruce grinned.

“Asshole,” Tony countered automatically. “What truth?”

“That you are. I think he might have a bit of a crush on you.”

Tony looked surprised again, but in a good way. “I was going to say the same thing about you.”

Bruce shrugged. “Maybe it’s just the way he is, then. He seems... earnest.”

Just as Tony opened his mouth to respond to that, Steve wandered out of his bedroom, hair and chest damp from a recent shower and Stark Industries sweatpants hanging low on his hips. Tony stared with his mouth slightly open as Steve made his way to the kitchen area and stuck his head in the fridge, apparently still too sleepy to acknowledge either of them.

The fact that Bruce only noticed all of this because he’d been staring just as hard as Tony had been wasn’t something he was about to address.

They all remained silent while Steve poured himself a glass of orange juice and set it on the bench beside Tony, then stood behind him and lifted the cup of coffee to Tony’s lips. “Good morning,” he murmured, gently helping Tony to take a sip even though he’d figured out by now how to do it without toppling over.

“Morning.” Bruce tried really hard not to stare. It was one thing coming to terms with the fact that he found two out of five new housemates really attractive, but another thing entirely to let _them_ know about it. “Sleep well?”

Steve nodded and stole a sip of Tony’s coffee, then switched over to the orange juice and held that to Tony’s lips as well. The earlier image of Steve-as-nurse was back in force, but more innocently now. He obviously not only cared about Tony, but liked to care _for_ him. Bruce could only imagine how much Tony was enjoying this, though the way his eyes were glittering gave him some indication.

“You?” Steve replied after making sure Tony was drinking. Bruce realised with a flash that Steve had obviously looked after someone before, and wasn’t sure he was ready to know about it. The one thing all of them had in common was a lot of pain in their pasts.

“As I ever expect to,” Bruce smiled wryly.

The smile the other man gave him suggested he was familiar with disturbed sleep. Tony looked at him as though he was going to make a suitably inappropriate suggestion about how to get a better night’s sleep, so everything was at least sailing along normally. Bruce chewed on his toast so he didn’t have to say anything.

“So what’s on the schedule for today?” Tony asked once his mouth was free again.

“Rest, for you.” Steve put a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “Need me to stay with you?”

Tony looked honestly torn, like he knew this was an important moment and he couldn’t work out which way he wanted things to go. “You’re good company, but you’re not obliged to,” he spoke carefully. “I don’t want to impose.”

The toast in Bruce’s mouth kept him from laughing, but only because death by choking, after everything else he’d been through, would be a pathetic way to go. Tony glared at him anyway, but there was no force behind it.

On the other hand, Steve’s eyes glittered. Bruce was starting to think that he was less sweetly old-fashioned and naïve than he’d led them to believe. Not that he’d exactly been dishonest, just that he hadn’t corrected a few key assumptions along the way.

He was starting to really, really like Steve.

“You’re not imposing.” Steve shook his head and picked up the half-glass of orange juice, swallowing it down with his head thrown back, throat working rhythmically. “I offered.” He wiped his mouth with a satisfied sigh.

“Are you trying to get me into bed, Rogers?” Tony drawled. “Because you only have to ask.”

“Okay. Be in bed when I get back from my run, like you promised Doctor Banner.” Steve moved both Tony’s coffee cup and their shared glass to the sink, rinsing them both under hot water and leaving them to drain. Bruce would have bet anything of value he had—admittedly, not much—that he’d remember to put them away when he got back, too.

“I feel like there was a minor miscommunication just now,” Tony said to Steve as he walked past again.

“Really?” Steve tilted his head. Bruce wondered if he looked _too_ innocent, like he knew exactly what had happened and played Tony at his own game, but it was possible that his obvious savvy in one area and complete lack of it in another was an effect of growing up when he did.

“See you later, Bruce,” Steve patted him on the back as he went past, disappearing into his room. Tony remained silent while they waited for him to re-emerge, fully dressed this time. He waved at them both before stepping into the elevator, and then he was gone.

“When did you become ‘Bruce’?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

“First of May, nineteen sixty-two,” Bruce replied with a straight face.

“Funny. I mean with Steve.”

“He calls you Tony,” Bruce shrugged.

“Yeah, but...” Tony sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. Told you he had a crush on you.”

Bruce rolled his eyes. “You just shared a glass of orange juice with him and he’s got a crush on _me_?”

“What was with that, by the way?”

“Forties home medical care. You lose a lot of blood, you get sugary fluids.” Bruce paused to finish his tea. “I’m pretty sure that if Steve had breasts and he thought it would help, he’d be actually nursing you.”

“Do you think I could get Natasha to agree to that?” Tony looked almost as though he was considering it.

“I think I’d like to watch you try.” Bruce smirked.

“You know, for a guy who’s supposed to be all about the Zen thing, you’re kinda mean.”

“Calm is not the same as nice. Aren’t you supposed to be going back to bed?” Bruce got up to do his own dishes, knowing that they’d be mysteriously taken care of if he didn’t, but suddenly suspecting that Steve was the one doing the mysterious taking care of and not wanting to create work for him.

“Everyone’s trying to get me into bed today and I’m in no shape to do anything about it.” Tony sighed dramatically. “Raincheck?”

“Very funny.”

“Who’s being funny?” Tony raised an eyebrow. Bruce chose not to respond, not really sure what he might say if he did.

Tony was quiet for almost a full thirty seconds before speaking up again, which might well have been some kind of record. “Can I ask you a favour?”

“I want to say yes, but I’m wary of you,” Bruce replied honestly. “You can _ask_.”

“I just want...” Tony took a breath. “If at all possible, I don’t want to wake up in a hospital again. Definitely not for stuff that can be seen to with a first aid kit. I’ll do it myself if no one else wants to, just... nothing short of an actual life-or-death thing, okay?”

“There’s some complicated reason for this, isn’t there?”

“There are a couple of reasons.” Tony shrugged. “But they’re not really complicated. I’ll tell you all about it one day.”

Tony looked at Bruce as though challenging him to push for more information. Bruce, though, was used to waiting to have his curiosity satisfied, and only nodded. “Got it. No hospitals if there’s another option.”

“Thanks. One more thing?”

“Shoot.”

“Okay, so, you’re welcome to refuse or whatever, but I’d really like to show you how to replace both the whole arc reactor and just the core. The one in my chest, I mean. It’s not really supposed to wear out, but weird shit happens around us and it wouldn’t be the first time. I’d like someone to know how to help me if I can’t do it myself. And I’d show Cap, because he seems to _want_ to look after me, but while I’d trust him with my life and everything else, I’d like someone who can understand the science in case of complications. And I’m not really such a great teacher that I can take someone who’s last science-related lesson involved telling him that masturbation was bad from there to being able to understand the workings of an arc reactor. You’re science-y.”

Bruce took a moment to filter out the rambling and work out what Tony was actually asking. When he did, he couldn’t help but smile a little. “Yes, Tony. I’ll be your designated repairman.”

“Awesome.” Tony smiled a warm, bright smile that settled somewhere in Bruce’s stomach.

“Does Steve really think masturbating is bad?”

“Judging by how often he does it, he’s either figured out that it’s fine or he’s engaging in some seriously self-destructive habits. And before you accuse me of recording him, I’m not. He’s not as quiet as he thinks he is about it, or as discrete. You’re gonna notice all the time now when he’s wandering around in his cute little post-orgasm daze.”

“Thanks a lot, Tony. You make my life a much richer experience every time we talk.”

“You’re welcome.” Tony grinned and started hopping towards his room, clearly back to his usual self, minus the use of one foot and an occasional wince if he tried to bend over.

At least Bruce didn’t have to feel guilty for possibly causing permanent damage any more.


	5. Chapter 5

If Bruce just quietly forgot to tell anyone that he’d started to remember what happened when the Other Guy made an appearance, well, that was just because he’d always been forgetful. It had never seemed like the right time, anyway, and who’d care? It saved a lot of paperwork if he could pretend to be oblivious, and writing things down for SHIELD—or letting them know that he had more control than he’d implied—wasn’t on his list of priorities.

It did make it kind of hard to ignore that whilst he’d gotten used to the big green crush he seemed to have on Iron Man—and he was pretty sure it was because he was shiny and brightly coloured, honestly—the fact that he’d started protecting Captain America was new.

Steve hadn’t mentioned it yet, so he was kind of hoping he hadn’t noticed. Tony, though, had turned out to be either a lot more observant or a lot less polite—probably a little of both.

“I told you, he likes you guys,” Bruce defended for the second time.

“You like us guys, you mean.” Tony pointed at him with a screwdriver. “And sure, whatever, but the charging into battle specifically to save Cap? That’s new. Don’t tell me it isn’t, ‘cause I’ve got video to prove it.”

“I can’t be a team player, now?” Bruce raised an eyebrow.

“I think you’re more of a team player than you’d like to admit, which is not me projecting, by the way, but you’re specifically defending Cap like you specifically defend me. Which is fine, I just thought you’d like to be aware that there’s something going on between you.”

“You mean like the something going on between you and him?”

Tony’s face darkened. “I will be out of this cast in another three weeks, you know. I can hold a grudge that long.” He waved at his leg with the screwdriver. “He just likes the idea of looking after someone and I’m milking it because why would I do things the hard way?”

“Uh huh. And the time you literally invited him to sleep with you was just the painkillers talking, right?”

“Exactly. You’re good at this denial thing. Which I already knew, because that’s what this whole conversation has been about.”

Bruce sighed. Tony had a way of pretending to be less intelligent than he was that you fell into believing even when he was building a robot right in front of you. “So your point is that we both have a thing for Steve?”

“Right again. Was that so hard? You can deal with it now. I’ve done you a huge favour,” Tony declared.

“So let’s assume that you’re right for a second—and I’m really not saying you are—how exactly do you think that helped?”

Tony shrugged. “Misery loves company.”

Bruce paused to process that. “That’s cynical even for you."

"Yeah, well..." Tony sighed. "It's _Captain America_. What the hell else am I supposed to do but sulk?"

"Ask him if he's interested?" Bruce raised an eyebrow at Tony. Tony was starting to get the feeling Bruce thought he was stupid.

"Do you really think he'd take that well? I mean, even if he knows that it's fine now—which I guess he'll figure out sooner or later, whatever—is he actually going to be okay with it when it comes to _him_? What are the chances that he's magically acquired an anachronistic attitude towards sexual attraction, do you think?"

"You're not giving him enough credit. He's obviously adaptable and it's not like you personally invented sex, Tony. Give him the information he needs and he'll do something with it eventually."

"That would make it awkward. You can't just tell friends you want to have sex with them and expect them to shrug and move on if they're not interested." Tony pushed the pile of junk he'd been fiddling with away and leaned down to rest his head on the bench.

"I wasn't really suggesting that." Bruce leaned back against the work table behind him carefully. "Just that it wouldn't hurt to let him know that it'd be okay if he _was_ interested."

"Are you suggesting I have The Talk with _Captain America_? Do you know that I used to have underwear with his shield on it?"

"I had no idea, but that is interesting information." Bruce smirked. "How long ago was this?"

"Can we pretend it was like when I was five? And not say that I wore the last pair out at about 25?"

"If that'll make you feel better, sure." Bruce shrugged.

"So what about you? You gonna tell Cap you think he's cute?" Tony waved a screwdriver in Bruce's general direction.

"You're insane." Bruce replied.


	6. Chapter 6

Of all the things Bruce Banner had not expected to be doing with his Friday nights, kissing Captain America had never even entered his head as a possibility for 'things he wouldn't be doing on a Friday night'. Despite the oversight on his part, it did seem awfully like Steve had just crawled into his lap and was kissing him enthusiastically and with more skill than Bruce would have expected, if it had ever occurred to him to expect anything.

Tonight was turning out to be strange, but it was difficult to object to a lap full of Steve Rogers.

"Umm," Bruce said articulately when Steve pulled back, fighting the urge to adjust his glasses.

"I… uh," Steve was blushing, and that was actually pretty cute. "Was that unwelcome? I might have read the situation wrong."

"Not unwelcome." Bruce was still trying to gather his thoughts. The Other Guy was still peacefully snoozing, so it wasn't as though he could even tell himself that had been anything other than _completely_ wanted.

But there was definitely a part of him that was feeling really, really guilty for kissing the guy Tony Stark had practically stamped his name all over. There had been jokes about Captain America technically being _Stark Industries_ property. Tony spent most of his waking hours drooling over him.

"But what about Tony?" The words were out before Bruce could stop himself, and he _really_ didn't mean it the way he'd said it, but that was that.

Steve's mouth opened, and then closed again. He shifted awkwardly, but didn't quite climb off Bruce's lap. "Tony knows."

Bruce paused. "Tony knows," he repeated slowly, narrowing his eyes while he thought about that. "Did Tony put you up to this?" He asked after another few moments.

"Not exactly?"

Bruce had never seen Steve looking guilty before, but it turned out he had puppy eyes to rival even Tony's. "What does 'not exactly' mean?"

Steve wet his lips. "I, uh… I may have mentioned that I could see there was, well, _something_ going on between the three of us and he suggested that you might take the offer of a solution more seriously if it was coming from me."

"That depends entirely on what the solution is." Bruce finally gave in to the need to push his glasses back up his nose.

"A threesome?"

Steve also seemed way more comfortable with saying this than Bruce would ever have expected, and he was starting to wonder how many of the really fun parts Captain America's life had been left out of the history books.

"A threesome," Bruce repeated, uncomfortably aware that this was about to become _Carry On Avengers_ but too shocked to do anything about it. "Since when is the something going on between _three_ of us? It's just you and Tony. I'm over here, completely innocent in the whole thing."

Steve raised an eyebrow. For all that it was a good, strong, all-American eyebrow, it was also extremely sarcastic. "Doctor Banner, do you take me for an idiot?"

Bruce made every attempt to look as innocent as possible, realising the full impact of being told off by _Captain America_ , even if his patriotism wasn't up to par with the rest of his fellow countrymen. On the other hand, this slightly bossy, impish version of Steve was kinda hot.

Which could easily have been a thought plucked straight out of Tony's head. Clearly they'd been spending way too much time together.

"I've actually reviewed your case file in detail, so I know you're far from it," Bruce defaulted to facts, which were unchanging and safe and didn't make him feel like a rug was being pulled out from under him. Again, though, he couldn't claim to be feeling genuinely threatened, because The Other Guy had still not stirred at all.

When it came to lying to yourself, having a built-in stress detector was kind of a disadvantage.

"Then you know that I haven't missed the fact that you're attracted to both of us. And I'm happy to keep being coy about it, but a man has needs." Steve shrugged. He was unreasonably calm about all this, as though it'd been rehearsed.

It probably had, with Tony.

The sudden, horrifying thought that Tony probably had JARVIS recording this hit Bruce like a fall from the top of Stark Tower, which was looking like a nearly-dramatic enough escape, except that he didn't really want to wake up tucked into the wrong bed. Or any bed, honestly.

Meanwhile, Captain America had just given him the 'I have needs' line and it was kind of surreal but also kind of bizarrely hot.

Bruce licked his lips and tried to think of something semi-intelligent to say in response. "What kind of needs?"

That wasn't the most ridiculous thing he could have said, but it came close. On the other hand, Steve smirked, which was also all manner of hot. "You could always come find out? We're invited to Tony's room."

Strangely enough, that didn't surprise Bruce at all. He took a deep breath and paused to consider his options. On the one hand, he was sure the whole thing would be dropped if he said no. That also might be the safer response, and would save the embarrassment of the rest of the Avengers—and realistically, the rest of the world—finding out.

But on the other hand, there was Steve, and there was Tony. In the spirit of at least not lying to himself, he really liked the idea and was almost not afraid to say so.


	7. Chapter 7

"He said no?" Tony looked up as Steve entered the room, disappointment already weighing heavy in his stomach.

"He has a name, Tony," Bruce poked his head in the door after Steve, one eyebrow raised sarcastically. Tony would've gone for a comeback, but he was too busy grinning to think one up.

"Unless you're here to say no in person, there is _plenty_ of room on this bed that you could be helping me take up."

Steve didn't hesitate to join Tony, but Bruce paused by the door. Tony bit his lip. "Listen, if you're not comfortable, no pressure. But we would both totally like you to be here and I'm really not sure it's gonna work without you. If you're wondering whether your presence is strictly necessary."

Bruce smiled wryly and took a few, tentative steps towards the bed. "I was wondering. I'm glad you think so."

"Contrary to what the tabloids say, I don't actually just sleep with anyone."

"That's a lie," Bruce pointed out.

"It totally is," Tony agreed without hesitation. "But I get tested all the time and I'm kinda turning over a new leaf, here? I mean, you guys live here and everything. Monogamy is probably beyond me, but there's two of you! I think this could work."

"Tony," Steve spoke up in a firm voice that made Tony shut up instantly and pay attention. "Take a breath."

Tony obeyed automatically. Steve being all In Charge was more than a little hot, but it was also really grounding, because he was getting to the point where he kind of _had_ forgotten to breathe as much as he needed to. Steve was great. He needed about 70% more Steve in his life. And 100% more Bruce, who was still hovering at the end of the bed.

"I won't bite. I get that that's probably a terrible idea."

"Tony, it's okay." Bruce sat down gingerly on the edge of the bed. "And you can probably bite me without risk of incident. Uh. If you want to."

Bruce went a really attractive shade of pink, which Tony was definitely all about. He grinned and waved him over, remaining firmly in place.

"Lazy," Bruce rolled his eyes, but climbed onto the bed properly to sit next to Steve.

"I'm on bed rest, remember? Wouldn't want me passing out in the workshop again."

"You know, when I said that, I knew it was gonna come back-"

"To bite you?" Tony finished eagerly. "Because I gotta say I kinda really want to try it now."

"I think that could be arranged. But you'll have to come get me."

Tony, not needing to be told twice, pounced on Bruce and bit down on his neck, getting a mouth full of shirt collar but not really minding. Bruce laughed and held still for him, relaxed as he had been a moment ago. Turned out they _could_ play a little rough, and Tony was all over that.

When he pulled back, Steve was pouting. It was a good look on him and he should probably try it more often, since it was definitely compelling Tony to pay attention to him. Which, it occurred to him as he tugged him closer for a kiss, was probably the idea.

"I'd honestly be happy to just… watch." Bruce offered while Tony was still enjoying being free to kiss Steve as much as he wanted without him objecting. He turned away from Steve's lips to look straight at Bruce, eyebrow raised.

"Kinky. But really not why you're here. I could've just sent you a tape if that was the idea."

"Speaking of which, _is_ this being recorded?" Bruce asked, almost without a hint of judgement.

Tony paused. That was not actually a question he knew the answer to. "JARVIS? Cut the cameras to this room if they're running."

"Yes, sir," JARVIS responded, also almost not judging. Tony would find time later to be proud that his AI could and regularly did snark at him.

"Right, okay, it is now guaranteed that you will never see this on YouTube." Tony nodded seriously. Steve lit up beside him, clearly pleased that he knew what YouTube was.

"Thank you." Bruce smiled wryly, as though that was the bare minimum he expected. Tony wanted to think that was unreasonable but he knew deep down that it was, in fact, the bare minimum.

"I am so lucky to have you two here," he said, hoping to cover up for the fact that he was not great at meaningful relationships with people he'd have to get on with in the morning. He was pretty sure Bruce and Steve were patient enough to cope with him, though.

"You are," Steve agreed with a sage nod. "But we're lucky to be here, too."

Tony smiled softly at Steve, feeling himself regress to the eight-year-old that was ridiculously in love with Captain America as he did. He obviously recognised now that Steve was an actual person and not _quite_ like he'd imagined, but there was enough of the boyhood crush (and to be honest, the teenage fantasy, and that was embarrassing as hell) there that it was kind of hard to be around him without getting nostalgic and fond.

Probably, fucking him would cure a lot of that and be much more fun.

"I am noting your silence, by the way, Doctor." Tony smirked at Bruce. "Not feeling lucky? Because if I have my way…" Tony flicked open the first closed button of Bruce's shirt as he very deliberately crawled into his lap.

"I'm just not sure _luck_ has anything to do with it," Bruce responded and remained maddeningly still. Apparently he'd done enough meditation in his life to resist just about anything.

Tony clicked his tongue and sighed dramatically. "I knew there was a reason I'd decided not to sleep with scientists any more. _Lucky_ for all of us, you're important enough to make an exception for."

"Remind me again why I'm here?" Bruce raised an eyebrow playfully. Tony grinned again and leaned in to kiss him, making an effort to avoid knocking his glasses. He’d learned all about making out with boys wearing glasses thanks to his college roommate.

Bruce actually didn’t remind him of that guy—whose name he was ashamed to admit, even to himself, that he’d forgotten—but that wasn’t a bad thing.

“Because that feels _so_ awesome?” Tony offered. “It does, right? Kissing is nice.”

Bruce’s face was flushed, his eyes glassy. Tony grinned at him, thrilled at the effect he was obviously having.

“It’s nice,” Bruce agreed.

“Well, I wouldn’t know.”

Tony turned to look at Steve, who’d obviously been watching intently, if the way he was blushing was anything to go by.

“Oh please. You play the innocent, but _you_ were the one who suggested a threesome. You just phrased it so it’d sound like it was my idea. I’m onto you, Rogers.” Tony narrowed his eyes at him, but he smiled all the same.

“I’m shocked.” Bruce adjusted his glasses, then paused before taking them off and leaned over to the bedside table to set them there. “I’m going to need one of you to help me find those later.”

“ _Way_ later,” Tony amended. “You’re not going to be needing them for a while.”

Tony sat back to watch as Steve pulled Bruce over to him. Voyeurism was Tony’s favourite sport, and it was nice to get a chance to indulge with people he actually cared about.

It was kind of _weird_ to have people he cared about to have sex with, but weird’s fine. Weird’s kind of become his stock-in-trade.

“You’re not joining in,” Steve whined, extending a hand in Tony’s direction. Tony shuffled forward just enough so Steve could touch him, unsure of any of this.

“Can I not just sit back and watch? I don’t wanna ruin it.”

“You _just_ told me I wasn’t allowed to do that.” Bruce somehow gathered the willpower to pull away from Steve, which was something Tony was certain he didn’t have. “So you’re not allowed either.”

“Not gonna work without the three of us.” Steve smiled. It was the sweet, reassuring smile he gave to sick kids and worried parents, people who told him they were afraid when bad things were happening.

This wasn’t a bad thing, but Tony suspected he was one of those afraid people right now. The kind who Steve always wanted to make things okay for.

“Yeah.” Tony shuffled closer to them. “Okay, fine, but if I screw up it’s totally not my fault.”

“Totally.” Bruce rolled his eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

Steve woke with an arm covering his face, and took a moment to figure out that it belonged not to Tony—who he would have initially guessed—but to Bruce. He grinned and pushed it off gently, earning a groan from its owner.

Its still very naked owner, who was sprawled across his third of the bed. Lucky Tony’s bed was obscenely huge, honestly, because none of them were really small people.

“Morning,” Steve murmured, not wanting to wake Tony, who was curled up tightly beside him. “Still worried about whether this is gonna work?”

“Into the future?” Bruce turned onto his side to look at Steve. “Seriously worried. But the mechanics seem surprisingly sound.”

Steve laughed. “Well, no one needs to be as flexible when there are more people. More hands and mouths means less bending. So the mechanics are obviously easier than with just two.”

Bruce blinked at him. “I’m not sure I want to know how many more is, and I’m starting to feel like the party virgin here.”

Tony snorted from Steve’s other side. “Yeah right, Banner. I _learned_ things from you last night. I’m the biggest slut on Earth and _I_ learned things from _you_.”

“Please don’t share that with anyone else.” Bruce blushed.

“I don’t intend to. They’d all want a piece of you. You’ve got this sexy nerd thing and if they knew you were awesome in bed I couldn’t compete.”

“You could,” Bruce said quietly. “There aren’t a lot of people out there likely to get me. I mean, I think basically everyone who might is in this room.”

“Mutants.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. Tony had the decency to look sorry.

“You know what I mean.”

“I know what you mean,” Bruce agreed. “But I’m going to have to use that as leverage to get you to make the coffee.”

Tony groaned, but rolled out of bed and hunted for his underwear for a few moments before apparently realising that this was _his_ bedroom and retrieving a new pair from the drawer. He padded across the room to head to the door.

“You guys are lucky I like you,” he mumbled as he pulled on a t-shirt that’d made its way to the door handle. It wasn’t his, as evidenced by the fit.

“Thank you,” Steve called after him as he left, grinning broadly.

“I’m surprised by you.” Bruce turned back to Steve once Tony was gone.

“Because you think I’m an innocent relic of the past who has no idea about the ways of the world?” Steve raised his eyebrow again. He liked Bruce, but he was tired of being taken for an idiot just because he was from a different time. It’s not like sex had been invented _after_ he ended up in ice. He thought Bruce understood that and it was a little disappointing that he apparently didn’t.

“What?” Bruce frowned. “No, I’m not an idiot. You’re just surprisingly flexible for being as muscular as you are.” He covered his mouth to yawn. “I’m sorry, I’m still thinking about sex. It’s been a while.”

“It’s been four hours.” Steve tried to keep his face straight, but failed spectacularly. Bruce rolled his eyes.

“ _You_ know what I mean. Oh my god. You’re both going to be like this, aren’t you?” Bruce looked horrified.

Steve grinned. “Yep. And it’s too late to back out now.”

Bruce groaned dramatically enough to give Tony a run for his money, then sighed and rolled onto his back to relax into the mattress. Steve quietly appreciated the view, not wanting to interrupt Bruce if he was going to say anything else.

“Probably worth it, though,” Bruce finally said.

“I like to think so.” Steve agreed. It took them a little while to get here, but it was worth all of it. Even pretending to be clueless over Tony flirting with him, even not giving into the temptation to flirt with Bruce until he and Tony figured out they’d be good together, too.

He couldn’t ever _tell_ them, obviously. It’d have to be his secret that he’d engineered getting them all together.

But it was worth it.


End file.
